1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an image forming apparatus including a fixing device having an improved structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus forms an image on a printing medium in accordance with an input signal, and examples thereof include a printer, a photocopier, a facsimile, and a multifunction device combining functions thereof.
An electro-photographic image forming apparatus, one of the image forming apparatuses, includes a photosensitive unit including a photoreceptor, a charging unit disposed around the photosensitive unit and charging the photoreceptor to a predetermined potential, a developing unit including a developing roller, and an optical scanning unit. The optical scanning unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor by projecting light onto the photoreceptor charged to the predetermined potential by the charging unit. The developing unit forms a visible image by supplying a developing agent to the photoreceptor on which the electrostatic latent image is formed.
The visible image formed on the photoreceptor may be transferred to the printing medium directly or via an intermediate transfer body. The visible image transferred to the printing medium is fixed to the printing medium while passing through a fixing device.
A fixing device widely used in the art includes a fixing belt including a heating source and a fixing roller disposed in close contact with the heating roller and forming a fixing nip. When a printing medium to which a toner image is transferred enters between the fixing belt and the fixing roller, the toner image is fixed to the printing medium by heat received from the inside of the heating roller and pressure applied by the fixing nip.
Thus, it is important to regulate rotation of the fixing belt and movement of the fixing belt in a width direction. In order to regulate operation of the fixing belt, bushing members are provided at both ends of the fixing belt. The bushing members are adapted to guide rotation of the fixing belt and limit movement of the fixing belt in the width direction. However, meandering movement of the fixing belt may be caused since operation of the fixing belt is not stably supported by the bushing members due to improper mounting methods, tolerances between parts, gaps between components during assembly, size deviation of parts, and the like.